Supporters divided by Newcastle United 'multi-year' deal announcement after official warning

Newcastle United have divided opinion with the announcement of multi-year commercial partnership with Quidd.

The deal with the digital collectable and NFT marketplace subsidiary of Animoca Brands will see limited-edition Newcastle digital trading cards released on March 28 at 2pm (GMT) on the Quidd marketplace.

While many supporters have welcomed the latest commercial partnership to help generate revenue for the club amid Financial Fair Play constraints, some have met the announcement with scepticism.

Former Newcastle United Supporters Trust chair Greg Tomlinson described the deal as an 'awful move' by the club, adding: "We need commercial growth but not this." Other fans were less critical of the partnership that will provide a financial boost to the club.

"More FFP money, lovely," one fan tweeted. And many others urged the club to keep the commercial deals coming amid calls for training ground sponsorship deals.

Earlier this season, The Football Supporters Association warned fans to avoid the NFT market amid its promotion by the Premier League and several of its member clubs. NFTs or non-fungible tokens are a form of digital collectible that cannot be copied.

The FSA stated back in September: "The NFT market has collapsed and 95% of them are worthless. "Despite warnings from the FSA, and many others, far too many in the football industry were desperate to sell magic beans to fans."

But Newcastle chief commercial officer Peter Silverstone has described the partnership as 'innovative' and 'exciting' as the club looks to expand its commercial reach and engagement. "Quidd is the ideal partner for our first-ever, officially licensed, digital collection," Silverstone said via the club website.

"As Newcastle United's fanbase expands globally, it is important we find new, and innovative, ways to build strong connections with club supporters wherever they are, and across a variety of different platforms.

"This innovative partnership with Quidd will allow us to reach and engage club supporters through an exciting digital collection which will augment our much-anticipated future retail offering."